James Harden vs. Yao Ming: Rockets Rankings Comparison
Explore Yao Ming and James Harden career statistics with the Houston Rockets and discover their all-time rankings in franchise history for both the regular season and the playoffs. See their standing side-by-side in key categories for both total numbers and per game averages, encompassing all games played with the team. Who ranks higher in franchise lore?
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
While the rankings of their overall NBA careers provide a broader context, here we zoom in on how James Harden and Yao Ming truly stack up based solely on their time with the Houston Rockets. This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide a unique look at where they stand among the franchise's all-time greats.
Considering James Harden's 9 seasons (2013 to 2021) and Yao Ming's 8 seasons (2003 to 2011) played specifically for the team, delve into a precise breakdown of their standing across every key statistical category—from scoring, rebounding, and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and specific points thresholds—encompassing both regular season and their complete playoff runs with the franchise. Our detailed tables provide side-by-side rankings and comparative values, offering the definitive data needed to assess their historical impact on the franchise.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in Rockets history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their franchise stats and their historical rankings within the team's record books.
James Harden vs. Yao Ming: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| James Harden | Yao Ming | James Harden | Yao Ming | |
| Points | 2nd | 7th | 2nd | 14th |
| Rebounds | 7th | 6th | 3rd | 13th |
| Assists | 1st | 44th | 1st | 57th |
| Steals | 3rd | 51st | 2nd | 61st |
| Blocks | 8th | 2nd | 7th | 8th |
| Years | 9 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
James Harden vs. Yao Ming: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| James Harden | Yao Ming | James Harden | Yao Ming | |
| Points | 1st | 13th | 1st | 8th |
| Rebounds | 40th | 13th | 33rd | 12th |
| Assists | 2nd | 120th | 2nd | 91st |
| Steals | 6th | +150th | 3rd | 120th |
| Blocks | 40th | 3rd | 31st | 6th |
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Rockets Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 18,365 vs. 9,247 | 9,118 |
| Rebounds | 7th | 6th | 1 | 3,736 vs. 4,494 | 758 |
| Assists | 1st | 44th | 43 | 4,796 vs. 769 | 4,027 |
| Steals | 3rd | 51st | 48 | 1,087 vs. 189 | 898 |
| Blocks | 8th | 2nd | 6 | 390 vs. 920 | 530 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 21st | 4th | 17 | 538 vs. 1,233 | 695 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 4th | 1 | 3,198 vs. 3,261 | 63 |
| Field Goals Made | 4th | 8th | 4 | 5,391 vs. 3,380 | 2,011 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 3rd | 9th | 6 | 12,169 vs. 6,445 | 5,724 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 1st | +150th | +149 | 2,029 vs. 2 | 2,027 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 1st | +150th | +149 | 5,602 vs. 10 | 5,592 |
| Free Throws Made | 1st | 5th | 4 | 5,554 vs. 2,485 | 3,069 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 6th | 4 | 6,444 vs. 2,984 | 3,460 |
Games and Years: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 6th | 11th | 5 | 621 vs. 486 | 135 |
| Seasons | 6th | 8th | 2 | 9 vs. 8 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 1st | 13th | 12 | 98 vs. 2 | 96 |
| 50+ point games | 1st | - | 23 vs. 0 | 23 | |
| 60+ point games | 1st | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rockets Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 14th | 12 | 2,416 vs. 555 | 1,861 |
| Rebounds | 3rd | 13th | 10 | 482 vs. 261 | 221 |
| Assists | 1st | 57th | 56 | 602 vs. 29 | 573 |
| Steals | 2nd | 61st | 59 | 165 vs. 9 | 156 |
| Blocks | 7th | 8th | 1 | 51 vs. 42 | 9 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 13th | 12th | 1 | 71 vs. 76 | 5 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 2nd | 14th | 12 | 411 vs. 185 | 226 |
| Field Goals Made | 2nd | 18th | 16 | 731 vs. 195 | 536 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 20th | 18 | 1,737 vs. 376 | 1,361 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 1st | +150th | +149 | 256 vs. 0 | 256 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 1st | +150th | +149 | 790 vs. 0 | 790 |
| Free Throws Made | 2nd | 5th | 3 | 698 vs. 165 | 533 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 801 vs. 198 | 603 |
Games and Years: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 2nd | 29th | 27 | 85 vs. 28 | 57 |
| Playoffs | 2nd | 16th | 14 | 8 vs. 4 | 4 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 2nd | - | 8 vs. 0 | 8 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Rockets Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 1st | 13th | 12 | 29.57 vs. 19.03 | 10.55 |
| Rebounds per game | 40th | 13th | 27 | 6.02 vs. 9.25 | 3.23 |
| Assists per game | 2nd | 120th | 118 | 7.72 vs. 1.58 | 6.14 |
| Steals per game | 6th | +150th | +144 | 1.75 vs. 0.39 | 1.36 |
| Blocks per game | 40th | 3rd | 37 | 0.63 vs. 1.89 | 1.26 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 112nd | 15th | 97 | 0.87 vs. 2.54 | 1.67 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 21st | 8th | 13 | 5.15 vs. 6.71 | 1.56 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 4th | 15th | 11 | 8.68 vs. 6.95 | 1.73 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 3rd | 24th | 21 | 19.60 vs. 13.26 | 6.33 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 1st | +150th | +149 | 3.27 vs. 0.00 | 3.26 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 1st | +150th | +149 | 9.02 vs. 0.02 | 9.00 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 1st | 4th | 3 | 8.94 vs. 5.11 | 3.83 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 1st | 9th | 8 | 10.38 vs. 6.14 | 4.24 |
Rockets Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | James Harden | Yao Ming | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 1st | 8th | 7 | 28.42 vs. 19.82 | 8.60 |
| Rebounds per game | 33rd | 12th | 21 | 5.67 vs. 9.32 | 3.65 |
| Assists per game | 2nd | 91st | 89 | 7.08 vs. 1.04 | 6.05 |
| Steals per game | 3rd | 120th | 117 | 1.94 vs. 0.32 | 1.62 |
| Blocks per game | 31st | 6th | 25 | 0.60 vs. 1.50 | 0.90 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 72nd | 15th | 57 | 0.84 vs. 2.71 | 1.88 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 23rd | 11th | 12 | 4.84 vs. 6.61 | 1.77 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 4th | 13th | 9 | 8.60 vs. 6.96 | 1.64 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 2nd | 20th | 18 | 20.44 vs. 13.43 | 7.01 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 2nd | +150th | +148 | 3.01 vs. 0.00 | 3.01 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 1st | +150th | +149 | 9.29 vs. 0.00 | 9.29 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 1st | 3rd | 2 | 8.21 vs. 5.89 | 2.32 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 2nd | 9th | 7 | 9.42 vs. 7.07 | 2.35 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page are among players with a minimum of 40 games played with the Rockets franchise for season stats, and 3 games for Playoff stats.